Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Superfood Powders

I’m frequently confronted with questions about Incredible Greens and how to use it.

Here are answers to the most common ones I get.

And while I can’t speak for other companies, I would guess that my answers would suffice for most powders in general.

Can You Take A Greens Powder When Pregnant?

Most of the time taking a superfood powder when you’re pregnant is okay. They’re not designed to be harmful, and if there are any “stimulatory” herbs they usually exist in much smaller doses than if you were to take them in a pill form. And of course, we all know greens confer some health benefits as well 🙂

However, it’s always best to talk to a doctor first, and herbs like ginseng, echinacea, and licorice root are frequently found in greens powders and are considered substances that might be harmful during pregnancy.

Given the breadth of ingredients that can go into them, it’s hard to say for sure that any superfood powder would be alright for every situation.

If you do take one, it’s best to use smaller doses than normal. Start with a teaspoon and slowly work your way up if you feel okay. But always exercise caution.

And again…..talk to your doctor first if you have questions!

Can You Give Them To Your Pet?

For a lot of reasons greens powders are probably very good for dogs, and not so much for cats.

Dogs benefit from eating vegetables, but have shorter digestive tracks than true herbivores. Therefore dogs digest greens best when they’re pureed or mashed…..or powdered! And since many greens powders also have digestive enzymes this aids in nutrient absorption.

However, dogs have certain allergies that humans don’t so you should be careful if you’re giving them a greens powder that’s designed for humans. It’s not hard to find greens supplements designed for pets, so it’s best to go with one of those just in case.

If you do give them a human greens powder, make sure to do it slowly and monitor their behavior afterwards to make sure there are no allergies.

Why Don’t They List All The Nutritional Info On The Label?

If you look on the back of health supplements, you’ll often notice that they either won’t list all the nutritional information on the label and frequently don’t list the exact amounts of the different ingredients in their formulas.

With regards to the latter problem, many supplement companies have a proprietary formula so they lump the ingredients together so their unique blend of ingredients isn’t given away.

Nutritional information is not listed because the manufacturer will charge the supplement company money to precisely determine the different nutrient content of the formulation, which can get fairly pricey.

Not saying this is consumer friendly, just sayin’ that’s the way it is.

Why Does The Price of Superfood Powders Vary So Much?

The price of greens powders can vary from $20 a bottle for low end varieties all the way up to $150…..and maybe more, who knows.

Here the answer is…”it depends.” Some ingredients genuinely are more expensive than others and the final price has to reflect that.

Other times it’s simply marketing.

In my experience the cost to manufacture a jar of greens powder will begin at $5 a bottle and may go up to about $15-$25 a bottle for the most expensive formulations.

The price to manufacture a bottle of greens powder will depend on the size of the bottle as well as the cost of the ingredients. Perhaps you can use that as a rough guide as to how much value you’re getting out of your greens powder.

Can You Use Greens Powders To Treat Diseases Like Cancer, Diabetes, or High Blood Pressure?

Superfood powders are popular, and useful, because their health benefits are very robust.

I’m a strong believer in the healing powers of nutrition, and most “lifestyle” diseases can be helped with just that…..a change in lifestyle. So in this respect, yes greens powders can be used to improve your nutrition which can have widespread benefits.

However, it’s possible their ingredients *might* interfere with other medication and they’re not allowed to be designed or marketed as cures for diseases……only compounds considered to be “drugs” by the FDA are allowed to do that.

In general all greens powders are pretty good. The worst you can say is that some are overpriced.

How Should You Use A Green Superfood Powder?

It’s really up to you.

Some taste so bad that they have to be mixed with smoothies or other drinks as a necessity.

Others taste good enough on their own.

It’s possible that cooking one with food might degrade some of the nutrients but in my opinion this isn’t an important concern for most people. Mixing them with other foods should have no effect.

I usually drink mine with water, but I’m accustomed to their tastes.

For people just getting started with greens powders then I’d recommend mixing them with some milk, juice, yogurt, or something similar.

How Often Should You Take One?

There’s no harm in taking a lot, but for most people one scoop or spoonful a day should suffice.

Sometimes the suggested serving size will say two full scoops or something similar, but that’s really put there at the manufacturer’s discretion.

How Long Do They Last When Opened?

Usually about 3-4 months. After that they can begin to go a little stale and lose their punch.

What Are The Biggest Benefits of a Greens Powder?

Most people report having better energy after taking one for a while.

For other people it’s simply the convenience. They know they won’t have enough green foods if they’re left to their own devices, so adding a powder to your meals fills in what they don’t get.

It’s also a good way to make sure you’re eating a wide variety of superfoods that would otherwise be very difficult to consume.

Ask yourself….how often would you eat wheatgrass or spirulina if you didn’t have a superfood powder?

What Are The Best Sources of Information on Greens Powders?

The “product reviews” topic lists all my opinions on greens powders that I’ve tried up to this point. I try very hard to make them the most authoritative, objective sources on the net. That’s a good start.

Hi! Just came across this. I’m curious if you can consume too many superfoods in one day? I just bough maca, goji, and cacao powders, as well as wheatgrass powder. Would it be excessive to take a serving size of each in one day? Especially if I am new to them? Thanks!

Hey Kassie! No you’re fine. With the exception of some extreme dosages none of these foods are toxic. It’d be nigh impossible to do damage to yourself with these foods. One serving size of each is definitely okay 🙂

As far as I know, yes. I’ve looked at their label before and it should be okay and safe. If you’re pregnant I’d recommend starting with a teaspoon first and then slowly working your way up just to be prudent.

Im starting a juice cleanse/fast tomorrow… I plan to use both my juicer and blender for various options of juicing for the next month or so, and have purchased several superfood powders. For research purposes, would blending my veggies and adding say a raw green superfood mix benefit more vitamin and nutrient wise than a regular juicing of veggies with no superfood powders? I want to make sure my information is correct.

I’m new here I’m bodybuilder that use whey protein and pre-workout drink . does any damage from taking both supplements. My email is tom-415@hotmail.com please I wanna know why , how . I just use 1/2 teaspoon per day of spirulina and wheatgrass , chlorella they all orangic powder . I hope u can help me out . thank you so much